4-legged Afghanistan hero headlines Valley awards ceremony

The man walked into the military camp with one purpose - to kill as many soldiers as he could with the bomb that was hidden upon him.

Few glanced his way as he knelt down in prayer before walking toward a building where soldiers were phoning home, working out or sleeping.

But for some reason, the man did get the attention of Target, one of three dogs the soldiers had befriended. Target began to bark and snap at the visitor.

The man, perhaps frightened by the way the dogs were blocking his way inside the building, kicked them away and quickly detonated his bomb. The blast just inside the doorway injured five soldiers, but only the bomber died.

The situation could have been far worse, said Sgt. Terry Young, who was on the scene that day at the camp in Afghanistan.

Each injured soldier credited the dogs' actions for saving their lives and the lives of untold colleagues, Young said.

For his actions, Target will be honored at the eighth annual Hero Awards by the Friends of Animal Care and Control of Maricopa County. The ceremony, presented by PetSmart, will be held Saturday at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.

The story also earned Target, and Young, a spot on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" earlier this month.

Young, who lives with Target in San Tan Valley, is an Army National Guard member who has re-enlisted for another six years and may be redeployed in Afghanistan. But Target is home for good. His volunteer service has been completed.

Target's heroics took place earlier this year at Dand Patan, a base near the Pakistan border, where Young, a medic, was stationed. The Army members were training Afghan border police.

Target, along with some other dogs, had gone onto the base and were befriended by the soldiers. Young said dogs aren't kept as pets in Afghanistan and usually rove in packs, looking for food.

Soldiers fed the dogs, and man and beast became fast companions.

It was about 9 p.m. Feb. 11, three months into Young's deployment, when the suicide bomber walked into the compound. He had entered through a gate manned by the Afghan border guards, Young said.

The bomber, who had 25 pounds of explosives strapped to his body, stopped to pray.

"He made his peace with Allah and headed straight for the barracks," Young said.

But three dogs - Target, Sasha and Rufus - interrupted him.

"They could tell something was about to happen," Young said.

Although it's hard to bring rationality to the act of suicide bombing, Young figured the bomber most likely wanted to get into the large common room, where soldiers were relaxing, some using the phone and Internet.

Had the bomb exploded in that room, dozens of soldiers might have died. Shrapnel also would have flown into a nearby tent where other soldiers were sleeping and another tent where soldiers, including Young, were working out.

As it was, the bomber detonated the explosives just inside the doorway. Five soldiers were injured, but all recovered.

Rufus and Target were both injured. But Young was able to treat them both at the base.

"The rest of the time," Young said, "those dogs were treated like royalty."